Automatic tool



Sept. 16, 1941. w, BLNR 2,256,012

- AUTOMATIC TOOL Filed Aug. 7, 1939 3 Sheets-=Sheet l Ihmcntor a a F attorney Sept. 16, 1941. w. BLAIR AUTOMATIC TOOL 3 Sheets-Sheet? 'FilBd Aug. 7, 1939 Sept. 16, 1941. w. BLAIR AUTOMATIQ TOOL Filed Aug. 7, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Snnentor Owl GEN Patented Sept. 16, 1941 AUTOMATIC Tool.

.Walter Blair, Detroit, Mich, assignor of onefourth to Charles L. Brown, Detroit, Mich.

Application August 1, 1939, Serial No. 288,817 4 9 Claims. (o1. s1 125) This invention relates, in general, to tools and,

in particular, to a new and improved tool of the portable, automatic type.

One of the objects of-this invention is to provide a new and improved tool device of the portable type which is easier to handle than formerly because of its simplified construction and more efllcient in operation because'of the new and improved arrangement of its parts.

Another object is to provide a tooldevice with a new and improved, automatically operable construction whereby theattachment means handled by the tool are so handled more emciently and with better success than heretofore.

another object is to provide a new and improved mechanism for a portable, tool device whereby the rate of output is substantially unlimited because it is solely and automatically dependent upon the speed with which the operator manipulates the device. v

Another object is to provide a new and improved tool device which is operable automatically and faultlessly for longer periods of time than heretofore.

Another object is to obviate, in a portable, automatic tool device, the faults and troubles heretofore found in and with devices of a similar character.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent from a reference to the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which there are three (3) sheets and wherein:

the manually operable end 22 of a prime mover 26 for driving said clutch mechanism, and both of said sections l and I2 cooperating to support said prime mover and a multiple-chamber magazine, generally indicated at 26, for charging said barrel with said nuts or screws.

The head and rear casing sections Ill and I2 of the main supporting body in either Fig. 1 or 7, in assembly, are spaced from each'other for accommodating therebetween themagazine 26, this spacing resulting from the disposal and connection" of the front end of the casing-of the prime mover 26' between and to supports 2! and 253 carried by or formed integrally with the rear end of said section It and from the attachment of the rear end of said prime mover casing to Fig. l. is a longitudinal, vertical 'view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of the tool;

Figs. 2 and 3 are views looking at the working end and in plan, respectively, of the showing in Fig. 1;

Figs. 4 and 6 are sectional views taken along the lines 4-4 and 56, respectively, in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig; 2 but looking at the opposite end of the tool;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing a difierent use for the tool and, as a result, a slightly modified construction thereof;

Flgs. 8 and 9 are sectional views taken along the lines 8-8 and 99, respectively, in Fig. 7; and v Fig. 10 is an elevational view of a modified form of either of the tools shown in lfigs. 1 and 7.

The tool shown in either of the Figs. 1 or 7 includes a main supporting body consisting of a head casing section it and a rear casing section t2, the section it) serving, in general, to

support a barrel H in which nuts I5 (see Fig. i

1) or cap screws i8 (see Fig. 7) are housed or stored immediately prior to their attachment to the work and a clutch mechanism, generally indicated at 20, for selectively driving said bar- .rel, the section I! serving, in general, to-support a support it carried by or formed integrally with the rear face of said section 82. The casing sections it! and i2 and the prime mover 2% constitute, therefore, a rigid though separable unit, and it will subsequently be seen that the megazine 2b is freely supported by said unit for selective, rotary and lateral movements relatively thereto.

The head casing section it! of the main supporting body shown in each of the Figs. 1 and 7 definesan open-endedchamber 39 in the ends of which is rotatably supported, such as by bearings 3f, the barrel M, said chamber also supporting, laterally of said barrel and by means of the front and rear walls of said casing section, the clutch mechanism 20. The rear end of the barrel it extends substantially to the plane of the rear face of the casing section it, whereas the front end of said barrel extends outwardly from the plane of the front face of said section, and said barrel is prevented from axial movement relatively to said section, such as by properly arranged thrust nuts 32 screwed into said section about the open ends of the chamber Elli, as shown in Figs. 1 and '7'.

The power for rotating the barrel M originates at the prime mover 24 which is selectively operable by means of an ordinary switch lever 36 operatively connected to the energy source for said prime mover and located, for obvious reasons and as usual, in a handle member 35 therefor. This power is transmitted through the the drive shaft of the prime mover 25 to a pinion 38 mounted thereon, thence from said pinion to the constantly rotatable member $7 of a slip clutch 38 of conventional design and mounted on a shaft 3Q carried by and between the front and rear walls of the casing section iii and finally from a pinion ill carried on said shaft 3Q to a gear M fixed on and for rotation with the barrel It; The member or gear 31 of the slip clutch 38 is driven by and with the pinion 36; it is freely mounted about the-shaft 39 but is prevented from axial movement therealong; and, it

; comprises the driving movement therealong;

' and provide storage spaces or pins 66 which extend member of said clutch.

The driven member of the slip clutch 38 is in ratcheted, driven engagement with the driving 1 member 37 thereof; it

is mounted on the shaft 39 for rotation therewith and is capable of axial and, it is resiliently maintained in saiddriven engagement with said driving member by means of a spring 42 telescopically arranged on said shaft between said driven member and the pinion 46, the latter being fixedly carried on and rotated by said shaft. The purpose of the slip clutchis, of course, to enable slippage between its driving and driven members when the torque to which the barrel i6 is subjected becomes excessive or abnormal.

The casing sections it and I2 of the main sup-,

porting body shown in either of the Figs. 1 or '7 have formed integrally therewith upstanding plates 44 and 46, respectively, said plate M extending laterally from said section it at theplane of the rear end of the barrel It and said plate 46 extending in parallelism with said plate 44 and laterally from the supporting portion 29 of said section l2'for the prime mover 26 so as to provide a space therebetween for accommodation of the magazine 26. Each of the plates 44 and 46 is disc-shaped so as to confine therebetween the magazine 26 and cover the ends thereof, and each is provided with a radial slot 46 of predetermined depth so as to cooperate means of a series of tubular members 54 the axes of which are equally spaced from and parallel to each other and equally spaced from and parthe plates 46 and 46 for being supported by the bases thereof. It will be noted that'these bases .of the slots 48 are at a common level which is parallel with the axis of the barrel l4 and which enables the magazine unit to be supported so that, during selective rotation of said unit, its

, its ends to the casing section I6 and resiliently abutting at its free end the front, upper portion with each other to provide bearings for the reallelto the central axis ofsaid magazine proper.

The tubular members 54 are arranged so that their axes lie radially within the peripheries of the plates 56 and 52, and said members are longitudinally slotted, as at 55, to cooperate at one end of the magazine 26 with peripheral, circular openings 56 formed in said plate 52 and at the opposite end of said magazine with slots 51 formed in a rearwardly extending, cylindrical, flanged portion 56 of said plate 56 and with peripheral, circular openings 59 formed in said plate 50. In other words, the magazine 26 is comprised of a series of parallel, equi-annularly spaced, open-ended bores or storage chambers (formed'by the members 54 and the openings 56 and 59) which extend from one end of said magazine -to the other and which bores have access thereto along their entire lengths (by means of the slots 55 and51 and the breaks in theperiphcries of the plates 52 and 50 leading to the openings 56 and 59, respectively). These bores or.

' tial co-alignment therewithin.

The end plates 50 and 52 of the magazine unit 26 are provided at their centers with stub shafts said plates and cooperate with the slots 48 in axially outwardly from within said slot to provide of the adjacent pin 66, and spring 62 being anchored at one of its ends to the casing section l2 and resiliently abutting at its free end the rear, upper portion of the otherand adjacent pin 66. With this arrangement it is clear that the magazine unit 26 is free to rotate about its axis as well as to be readily assembled to and disassem bled from the sections Ill and I2 of the main body support therefor. I

Each of the tubes 56 of the magazine unit 26' in either of the Figs. 1 or 7 is formed, at its forward end and diametrically opposite its slot 55, with a comparatively short, longitudinally directed slot 64 and, at its rearward end, with another and similar slot 65. To the wall of each tube 54 adjacent the rearward end of the slot 64 there is anchored an end of a leaf spring 66 which extends forwardly to substantially the forward face of the plate ,56 and resides normally therealong a flexible and substantial continuity in the inner surface of said tube. To the wall of each tube 54 adjacent the forward end of the slot 65 there is secured an end of a stop member 61 which extends rearwardly to a position slightly spaced from the forward face of the plate 52 and resides within said slot and also within the bore formed by said tube, it perhaps being preferable, though optional, to carry saidstop member resiliently within said bore rather than rigidly, and this provision is shown. Prior to positioning the magazine unit 26 between the plates 44 and 46, the bores or chambers formed by the tubes 54 of said unit are filled from their forward ends with the nuts l6 or screws l8, not necessarily as uniformly as shown but at least on their sides so as 'to enable their coaxial alignment while therewithin, and the stop members 61 serve to limit the numbers thereof so that the forward ends of the forwardmost nuts or screws will extend, when said unit is inassembly with said plates, into substantially flush engagement with the rear face of the casing section II) with which the rear end of the barrel I4 is also flush. As will be seen, the function of each of the springs 66 comes into play when its respective tube 54 of the magazine 26 arrives into alignment with the barrel l4, this function being to prevent rotation of theforwardmost nut or screw in said tube and held by said spring from rotating or being caused to rotate by its contact with the rearwardmost nut or screw in the rotating barrel, thereby facilitating the introduction of the nonrotating nut or screw into said rotating barrel from said magazine tube. This feature is important-in that the internal cross section of the barrel I4 is polygonal, as at 68, so as to receive and rotatably drive the nutsl6 or screws l8 2,256,012 therein, and for this reason there should be pro vided a relative rotation between the rearwardmost nut or screw in said barrel and the forwardmost nut or screw in the magazine chamber 54 then in alignment with said barrel; this relative rotation will present a moment at which the cross comprises anejector element H! which is in the form of an upstanding lug having tapered sides (see Fig. 6) substantially complementary to the tapered side walls of the slots 55 and 51. The element 70 is held in projected position within that slot 55 of the tubular element 54 which is in alignment with the barrel I4 by means of a leaf spring H, said ejector beingconnected to the free end of said spring and the other end of said spring being anchored to a block 12 reciprocably carried on an elongated, stationary guide rod 73 therefor carried at one end by the supporting portion 25 of the casing section it and at its other end by the rear end of the handle portion 35 of thecasing section i2. Telescopically mounted about the guide rod 713 between the block l2 and the wall of the handle portion 35, preferably within a bore M therefor, is a coil spring 75 which urges said block and the element it carried thereby forwardly and exerts a pressure, through said block, upon the row of nuts it or screws it in the chamber 5 thereadjacent, said block normally abutting the rearwardmost nut or screw in said chamber. It will be seen in Fig. 1 or 7 that the magazine chamber 5 3 which is in alignment with the barrel M is full of the attachment means it or iii and that the ejector element Ed is; in its rearwardmost position in opposition to the spring 15, this being the beginning of the stroke of said element for the discharging of said means from said chamber into said barrel. The following forward movement of the ejector it is caused by the actionsoi the spring FE and of means (to be described) carried by the head end of the barrel l4, and during this gonal cross section of said rod. The end of the discharge stroke of the element it? occurs while said element is in the slot 5'5 of the flange 58 and when the last nut it or screw W has been driven into the barrel bore 68 from the magazine chamber at in alignment therewith. Thereupon, the magazine Hi is revolved manually until the next chamber 54 is aligned with the barrel it, this action being possible because of the tapered side walls of the element Hi and slots 5'? and/or 55 and the resiliency of the spring H, and the block 12 is then drawn bodily rearwardly, by means such as a handle I6 secured thereto, with said element residing in the new slot 55 and being pulled therealong over the nuts it or screws l8 thereabove, until said element becomes positioned behind the new and'rearshown in Fig. 7,-but, in view of the fact that on -is employed in conjunction with the nuts I and the othr with the cap scrws or bolts Ii, there 'is' a slight diflerence in the'head end constructions of the two devices, and these constructions an nut It in said bore 63 encounters no dimculty in passing into said bore 19. The wall of the head member I8 is formed therethroug'h at its forward end with a pair of diametrically opposite, longitudinally extending slots between the opposite side walls of each of which slots there is pivotally carried, by means of a pin 8| secured to said side walls, a pawl or catch 82. The pawls or catches 82 are; so pivoted intermediate their ends by the pins 8| as to oscillate within the slots 89 relatively to the head member It, the forward end of each pawl or catch having a portion 83 residing normally within the bore E9 in direct abutment with the forward peripheral edge of the forwardmostnut H5 in said bore '59, and the rearward end of each pawl or catch having anchored thereto the rear end of a forwardly extending spring catch 88 which has a front portion residing normally within its respective slot 89 and said bore 19 between the first'and second nuts it in said bore and in direct abutment with the forward peripheral edge or said second nut. The force exerted by the spring '55 through the ejector element it upon the nuts E6 in the bores 56, t8 and it is insuficient td move the first nut to in the row past the portions 83 of the pawls 62 -83, but it is suficient to move the whole row of nuts forwardly in the event the portions d5 of the catches tit-tit are renut 56 in the bore it properly initiated into its attachment thereto, and the unitary rotation of wardmost nut or screw. The action is then rethe barrel M and head member 78 is begun, completing the attachment of said nut to said work will draw said nut past the pawls tit-d3, thereby moving the forward portions 33 .of said pawls outwardly of said bore, and the rearward ends thereof in the direction of said bore. This inward movement of the rear ends of the pawls 82-433 causes the forward portions 35 of the catches B t-85 to move toward each other and positively clamp the next nut it in line from moving therepast under the force oi the spring it. However, this concerted action of the pawls 82-83 and catches 86-85 endures onlyuntii the first nut lt has passed the forward portions 63 of said pawls because said action is in opposition to the spring forces of said catches. So, when the. first nut it has passed the portions 83 of the pawls 82-83, said portions immediately move into or even inwardly of their normal positions within the bore 19, thereby reducing the holding force of the catches 8485 on'the nut next in line and throwing the portions 85 of said catches substantially outwardly of said bore, the spring lithen being effective to advance the row of nuts inthe bores 54, 68 and 19 so as to move-said next nut past said portions 85 into position against said portions 83 of said pawls 82-83.

Immediately upon the engagement of the head sitions as shown in Fig. 1. When the nut I6 is i being attached to the work, it is only natural for the operator to apply a push on the forward end of the device, and this push would tend to move the nuts inthebores 19, 68 and 54 backwardly if it were not for the opposition thereto of the retarding efiect caused by the portions 85 of the catches 84-85 and the spring 15.

On the other hand, to the forward, threaded end of the barrel M of the device shown in Fig. 7 there is removably connected a head member I18 having, like the member I8, a bore 19 of polygonal .cross section and in alignment and continuity with the bore 68 so that a screw l8 can pass from the latter to the former with no di-fiiculty. The member I18, instead of having. the slots 80, is formed with two pairs of axially spaced apertures 86 and 81, the forward apertures 86 being coaxially aligned and reciprocably receiving in each a plunger 88, and the rearward apertures 81 being coaxially aligned and reciprocably receiving in each a plunger 89. at their inner ends are tapered in a forward direction and reside normally in immediate contact with the forward peripheral edge of the head of the forwardmost screw i8.in the bore 79, and in resilient, guiding contact with the stem of said screw by means of a pair of leaf springs 90 which engage at their free ends said plungers and are anchored at their other ends to the member I18.

such a way that the latter is arrangedat itsforward end in adjacency to the barrel bore 58 and with its rearward end leading to a hopper (not shown) or other storage chamber for the attach- The plungers 88 ment means IE or 18. The discharge of the attachment means I6 or l8 from the tube I54 into.

the barrel bore 68 and thence to the workhas previously been described andis not needful of being repeated.

Although the invention has been described with some detail it is not intended that such detailed description is to be definitive of the limits of the inventive idea. The right is reserved to make such changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts as will fall within the purview of the attached claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a tool device, a rotatable holder having a longitudinal bore of polygonal cross section with a series of like-shaped, aligned attachment members residing therewithin, said bore being open at both ofits ends, a non-rotatableiholder arranged immediately adjacent said first holder and having a longitudinal bore of substantially circular cross section in alignment with said first bore with another series of aligned attachment members residing therewithin and forming with the The plungers 88 are also tapered. at their inner cause it to pass beyond the spring impressed plungers or stops 88, and the force of the spring I5 will simultaneously move the next screw in line past the lightly held plungers or stops 89 into the position formerly occupied by the first screw, that is, with its head up against the relatively stronger held plungers or stops 88. The

normal positions of the plungers or stops 88 and 89 are shown in Fig. 7 and are made possible by means of shoulders 92 and 93 formed thereon and cooperable with the member I18 to limit the inward movements thereof to said positions.

It will be noted in both of the Figs. 1 and 7 that the head members 18 and H8 extend forwardly beyond their particular means (82-83 in Fig. '1- and 88 in Fig. 7) for holding the forwardmost nut and screw in the bores therefor in said head members, and the reason for this is to enable an abutment between said head members and the work and thereby effectuate a positive outward movement of said nut and screw relatively to the device to operate said means 82-83 and 88 in the previously outlined manners.

The modified form of device shown in Fig. 10 is similar in-detail, operation and construction to that of the device shown in Fig. 1 or to that of the device shown in Fig. 7, except that the magazine 26 has been eliminated and replaced by a tube I54 having the fundamental and necessary characteristics of any of the tubes 54 and the first attachment members an unbroken row thereof, said second bore being open at the end thereof adjacent said first bore,v means for urging the displacement of the attachment members in said second bore therefrom into said first bore, and means cooperable with the attachmentmemher in said second bore most adjacent said first holder for reducing the tendency caused by its contact with the attachment member in said first bore most adjacent said second holder to rotate.

2. In a tool device, a rotatable holder having a longitudinal bore of polygonal cross section with a series of like-shaped, aligned attachment members residing therewithin, said bo're being open at both of its ends, a non-rotatable holder arranged immediately adjacent said first holder and having a longitudinal bore of substantially circular cross section in alignment with said first bore with another series of aligned attachment members residing therewithin and forming with the first attachment members an unbroken row thereof, said second bore being open at the end thereof adjacent said first bore and provided at its opposite end with a removable restriction,

. means for urging the displacement of the attachment members in said row toward the open outer end of said first bore, and means carried by one of said holders and cooperable with the attachment member in said second bore most adjacent said first holder for reducing the tendency caused by its contact with the attachment member in said first bore most adjacent said second holder to rotate. I

'3. In a tool device having a rotatable barrel of internal, polygonal cro'ss section and from which attachment members are individually ejected for attachment to workpieces and a force applicator movable toward the barrel for eifectuating suchejectment, a magazine for storing the attachment members prior to their introduction to the barrel and comprising, a plurality of openended, elongated holders of internal, cylindrical cross section for the attachment members arranged in parallism with the barrel and in equaL ly spaced relationship about a central axis of rotation, said magazine being supported at said axis of rotation and movable thereabout for successively aligning the open ends of said holders with the barrel, longitudinal openings in the walls of said holders for individually receiving the applicator and guiding same during its movement therealong, and springs can'ied by said holders at their open ends and resiliently en- 'gageable with the forwardmost members therein.

supported for movement about an axis between a pair of positions therefor at one of which said pawl means resides in the path of protraction of the foremost member in said bore to oppose said protraction and at the other of which said pawl means resides in lateral spaced relation to said path responsive to attachment ofsaid foremost member to a work piece therefor, and second pawl means resiliently carried by said first pawl means for movement substantially unitarily therewith about said axis and extensible into position ahead of the member next in line to said foremost member for normally urging said first pawl means into said first mentioned position therefor and opposing protraction of said nextin-line member.

5. In a tool device, a rotatable holder having a longitudinal bore of polygonal cross section with a series of like-shaped, aligned attachment members residing therewithin, said bore being open at both of its ends, a non-rotatable holder their open ends, and springs carried by said holders at their open ends and resiliently engageable with the forwardmost members therein.

' 7. In a tool device having a rotatable barrel of internal, polygonal cross section and from which attachment members are individually ejected for attachment to work pieces and a force applicatormovable toward the barrel for efiectuating I such ejectment, a magazine for storing the attachment members prior to their introduction to the barrel and comprising, a plurality oi open-ended, elongated holders of internal, cylindrical cross section for the attachment members arranged in parallelism with the barrel and in equally spaced relationship about a central axis of rotation, said magazine being supported at said axis of rotation and movable thereabout for successively aligning the open ends of said holders with the barrel, means'ior opposing said rotation of said magazine, longitudinal openings in the walls of said holders for individually-receiving the applicator and guiding same during its movement therealong, and springs carried by said holders at their open ends and resiliently engageable with the forwardmost members therein.

8. In a tool device having a rotatable barrel of internal, polygonal cross section and from which attachment members are individually ejected for attachment to work pieces and a force applica tor movable toward the barrel for eflectuating such eje'ctment, a magazine for storing the attachment members prior to their introduction to the barrel and comprising, a pluralityof openended, elongated holders oi internal, cylindrical cross section for the attachment members arranged in parallelism with the barrel and in first bore, and means cooperable with the attaehment member in said second bore most adjacent said first holder for reducing the tendency caused by its contact with the attachment member in said first bore most adjacent said second holder to rotate.

6. In a tool device having a rotatable barrel. of internal, polygonal cross section and from which attachment members are individually ejected for attachment to work pieces and a force applicator movable toward the barrel for eilectuating such ejectment, a magazine for storing the attachment members prior to their introduction to the barrel and comprising, a plurality of open-ended, elongated holders of internal, cylindrical cross section for the attachment members arranged in parallelism with the barrel and in equally spaced relationship about a central axis of rotation, said magazine being supported at said axis of rotation and movable thereabout for successively aligning the open ends of said holders with the barrel, longitudinal openings in the walls of said holders for individually receiving the applicator and guiding same during its movement therealong, spring impressed stops cooperable with the ends of said holders opposite equally spaced relationship about a central ems of rotation, said magazine being supported at said axis of rotaon and movable thereabont for successively as the open ends of said holders with the barrel, means ior'opposing said ro- 'tation of said magazine, longitudinal openings in the walls of said holders for individually receiving the applicator and guiding same during its movement .therealong, spring impressed stops extending normally into said holders at the ends of the latter opposite the open ends thereof, and springs carried by said holders at their open ends and resiliently engageable with the for-.

wardmost members threin.

9. In a tool device, a rotatable holdervhaving a longitudinal bore of polygonal cross section with a series of like-shaped. aligned attachment members residing therewithin, said bore being open at both of its ends, a non-rotatable holder arranged immediately adjacent said first holder and having a longitudinal bore of substantially v circular cross section in alignment with said first bore with another series of aligned attachment membersresiding therewithin and forming with. the first attachment members an unbroken row thereof, said second bore being open at the end thereof adjacent said first bore, means for urging the movement of the attachment members in said row toward the outer open end of said first bore, and spring means resiliently co-- operable with the attachment member in said second bore most adjacent said first holder for reducing the tendencycaused by its contact with the attachment member in said first bore most adjacent said second holder to rotate.

wan-m Bum. 

